I love to read on my Kindle. I am a fan of Thrillers, Suspense and Mystery. My simple pleasure are Verse Novels. Always on the side is a cup of Earl Grey Tea. I am a HR Specialist, Pilates/Yoga instructor and a mother of a 11 year old. I post Reviews on Amazon, LibraryThing, Goodreads and here on my blog. I live in Bermuda.

Wednesday, September 5, 2012

Q&A Thrill with Amanda Stevens (Giveaway)

Giveaway

Amanda Stevens has agreed to give 1 of her books to you. It is your choice, if you haven't started the trilogy, start from the beginning.

Leave your choice and email in the comments

Open internationally

Ends, Sat, Sept 8

﻿

Welcome Amanda

I think your covers are eye catching; I especially like that
they tie in with each other. What is your usual response when you see the
cover and how involved are you with the process?

I literally gasped when I saw the
first cover.I thought it hauntingly
beautiful, and I say that without fear of sounding boastful because ALL the
credit goes to the art department. They’ve done an amazing job branding the
series and capturing the mood and atmosphere of the stories.I’m so thrilled with their interpretation.

With MIRA, I don’t have a ton of
input. I fill out art fact sheets that
provide basic information regarding theme, tone, setting, characters and so
forth, and I also create a mood board, which gives a more visual
representation.That’s it for my part.I see nothing until the cover is pretty much
finished.

You bring atmospheres to life, do you have a muse, music,
specific setting etc that helps you create these scenes?

Thank you!I’ve never been very good at explaining my
process, but I think it once again boils down to being a visual person.Certain scenes unfold in my head much like watching
a movie. All the details are there, I just have to pay attention.But I also spend a lot of time on word choice
and sentence structure to help paint that picture.

And, yes, music can be
very inspiring.For this series, I
listen to Fever Ray (The Wolf), Röyksopp (Across the Graveyard),
The Raveonettes (Apparitions), Shamrain (To Leave) and Dulce Sky (I Dreamt of
You).

Other than the Graveyard Series, What is your favourite book
you have written?

The Dollmaker.Those characters still haunt me.

Who are a few of your favourite authors? Recommend a
book to my followers that you think is a must read.

Must reads for me include anything by Dean Koontz, Charlaine
Harris and David Lindsey.Currently, I’m
reading Abraham Lincoln: Vampire
Hunter by Seth Grahame-Smith.I’m late to the party on this one as the
movie is already out, but I really love the story.Such a cool premise.

Do you have a story about a cemetery or pictures you can
share with us that has inspired you along this journey?

I grew up in an old house situated between two graveyards.One was well-maintained and still active while
the other had been abandoned for decades. The latter was a very creepy place,
the sunken graves and crumbling headstones shrouded in brambles and infested
with rattlesnakes and spiders.I often conjure
an image of that old forgotten graveyard when I’m writing about Amelia.

Do you believe in ghosts? (smile)

I don’t not believe in them, which is why out of all the paranormal
creatures—vampires, werewolves, demons and so on—ghosts scare me the most.

How do you deal with social
networking, bloggers, interaction with fans etc?

I’m addicted to social
networking.Seriously, interacting with
readers, bloggers and other writers is so much fun for me that I have to be
careful my writing doesn’t take a backseat.I try to limit my time to evenings and weekends, but I’m not always that
disciplined.

What do you like to do when you are not writing?

Like most writers, I’m an avid reader, but I’m also a huge TV
junkie.I love finding a series
streaming on Netflix so that I can watch one episode after another.Recently, I’ve gone through five seasons of
Mad Men, four seasons of Breaking Bad, two seasons of Downton Abbey, Season
Five of True Blood, all of the Vampire Diaries, Pretty Little Liars and
Apparitions, and now I’m impatiently awaiting the DVD release of Dexter Season
Six.Did I mention that I’m a TV junkie?

Are there any ‘secrets’ you can tell us about the upcoming 4th
book and the last in the Graveyard Series?

Soooo many secrets will be coming
to light.Both Amelia and Devlin are
hiding things so look for some shaky times ahead in their relationship. The
‘sightless’ ghost from The Prophet is
back to haunt Amelia in Book Four, and in Book Six, she’ll make a return visit to
Asher Falls.Other than that, my lips
are sealed. ;)

Are there any upcoming events
that you would like to share with us?

Halloween!It’s my
favorite holiday. This year, I’m making Dia
de los Muertos sugar skulls so look for the photos on my blog.http://www.amandastevens.com/

Oh, did you mean writing?I hope to have a Graveyard Queen novella up the first part of next year
which will delve more deeply into Devlin’s back story and his secrets.Again, look to my blog for updates. :)

Thank you so much for taking the time to liaise with me and do this interview. I can't wait for more in the Graveyard Series and I will be picking up Dollmaker also.I wish you continued success.

I'd have to start with the first book in the series since I haven't read it yet. Whoa...living between two graveyards! Unmaintained graveyards do have that 'creepy' air about them that can play with an active imagination. Personally, I love exploring them...

Thanks for visiting Tea Time with Marce, I appreciate your comments. I have decided to make this an Award Free Zone, thank you for thinking of me but I prefer comments and do my best to be a good networking blogging friend also.